Water in roof rack mount holes

[CentcomPete]

I was in the middle of installing a new roof rack and while the rack and rails were completely off I got caught in a huge rain storm while driving. I had the exposed areas covered with duct tape really well but next day have a bit of a musty smell in the cabin. I'm sure there was water entering those areas while I was driving.

Does anyone know if those main bolt wholes/tubes drain? Should I be concerned or do something? I'm afraid it is what it is at this point but just wondering if anyone has experience with this or advice.

Thank!

 

[JAXJeremy]

since the bolt holes for the roof rack go through the roof, the only place they'd drain if they were leaking is into your head liner..chances are you got water up in there. use some damp rid and park it out in the sun with the windows cracked..I'm sure it will dry out.

 

[rigtec]

I was in the middle of installing a new roof rack and while the rack and rails were completely off I got caught in a huge rain storm while driving. I had the exposed areas covered with duct tape really well but next day have a bit of a musty smell in the cabin. I'm sure there was water entering those areas while I was driving.

Does anyone know if those main bolt wholes/tubes drain? Should I be concerned or do something? I'm afraid it is what it is at this point but just wondering if anyone has experience with this or advice.

Thank!

Hi CentcomPete,

I can't be too sure, but I can't think of a reason that there would be drains in a roof-rack; the moon-roof, 4-doors and tail-gate... ABSOLUTELY! I see that you live in FLA. If it were my truck, I'd position the vehicle in the HOT arse Sun, windows closed for several hours, (maybe even repositioning the panels twrd's the sun 'once or twice') to heat it up so any moisture can migrate away from the areas where it may be trapped!

But now we need to drive the vehicle (NO A/C ON) with ALL windows wide open! This will allow the (now) Evaporated water to move to where the air is cooler; "Remember... All Heat moves towards cooler environments, not the other way around" (Therm-o-dynamics 101) lol! If need be, do it again, cuz there's no way to know just how much moisture entered the truck! Please let us know how you make out 'Best to you',

rig

 

[Amir Ched]

Like Jeremy said, go ahead and damp rid and let it air out on a nice day for a while, you probably got just enough to cause a fuss about in your head liner. Make sure you air it out as best as possible and then put the new rack on. Also after its aired out seal it with some rtv silicone, but if you dont let it air out enough you might be trapping it in. You should be fine!

 

[CentcomPete]

Like Jeremy said, go ahead and damp rid and let it air out on a nice day for a while, you probably got just enough to cause a fuss about in your head liner. Make sure you air it out as best as possible and then put the new rack on. Also after its aired out seal it with some rtv silicone, but if you dont let it air out enough you might be trapping it in. You should be fine!

Thank you for all the replies! As I buckled up on my way home tonight from work, I noticed the seat belt was damp. Checked passenger side belt and it too was damp. That's a long way down from the roof. Not sure what to do knowing this now.

 

[Dillusion]

I still say damp rid and plenty of sun.

I wouldn't sweat one rain storm.

 

[KingTaco]

Thank you for all the replies! As I buckled up on my way home tonight from work, I noticed the seat belt was damp. Checked passenger side belt and it too was damp. That's a long way down from the roof. Not sure what to do knowing this now.

I've been there. Had it saturated enough that water traveled down the seat belts and soaked the cloth seats. It seems heinous now, but [MENTION=268621]JAXJeremy[/MENTION] has it right. It will go away after a couple days of dry warmth and air flow. I promise.

 

[Jhalko]

Thank you for all the replies! As I buckled up on my way home tonight from work, I noticed the seat belt was damp. Checked passenger side belt and it too was damp. That's a long way down from the roof. Not sure what to do knowing this now.

Not long after I put my rack on I got a leak. Pulled the driver seatbelt out and it was wet. I actually took the panels off the b pillar and pulled the seat belt out and hooked it to something to let it all air out. I don’t know all these other suggestions but it’s not hard to take the two plastic panels off where the driver and passenger seatbelt are, I’d do it.

 

[CentcomPete]

I will definitely do that - thank you for the advice!

 

[CentcomPete]

Good deal, I was sketched out about it at first! Lots of hot sun daily here to help the dry-out. It was 82 degrees and 90% humidity at 6am here in Tampa today!

 

[ProfessorP]

Not long after I put my rack on I got a leak. Pulled the driver seatbelt out and it was wet. I actually took the panels off the b pillar and pulled the seat belt out and hooked it to something to let it all air out. I don’t know all these other suggestions but it’s not hard to take the two plastic panels off where the driver and passenger seatbelt are, I’d do it.

Makes me a little nervous about installing my roof rack being delivered on Friday. Was your leak due to not enough sealant? Wrong sealant? Poorly designed product? Any suggestion to keep a similar leak from happening to me are greatly appreciated.

 

[Cymon]

Makes me a little nervous about installing my roof rack being delivered on Friday. Was your leak due to not enough sealant? Wrong sealant? Poorly designed product? Any suggestion to keep a similar leak from happening to me are greatly appreciated.

After 2 plus years my rack developed a similar leak to what [MENTION=91899]Jhalko[/MENTION] described. It’s been through a hurricane and two tropical storms with no issues until a couple of weeks ago. I did the same things as the recommendations above. I resealed with marine grade silicon and knock on wood has been fine since (and we’ve gotten over 10” of rain in the past 2 weeks). I also contacted Frontrunner and they are piecing together and shipping me some replacement hardware to re-seat the rack if it happens again. Their customer service is :thumb3:

Best remedy is high quality silicone sealant applied liberally!

 

[ProfessorP]

After 2 plus years my rack developed a similar leak to what [MENTION=91899]Jhalko[/MENTION] described. It’s been through a hurricane and two tropical storms with no issues until a couple of weeks ago. I did the same things as the recommendations above. I resealed with marine grade silicon and knock on wood has been fine since (and we’ve gotten over 10” of rain in the past 2 weeks). I also contacted Frontrunner and they are piecing together and shipping me some replacement hardware to re-seat the rack if it happens again. Their customer service is :thumb3:

Thanks for the info. I live in Florida, so keeping out torrential rain is very important to me. The installation video for my Victory 4x4 rack recommends Ultra Black RTV by Permatec. I have a boat and really trust marine sealant, so I was planning on going that route instead. Just like my boat, I was planning on replacing the sealant every few years. Sounds like my plan was a good idea.

 

[Jhalko]

Thanks for the info. I live in Florida, so keeping out torrential rain is very important to me. The installation video for my Victory 4x4 rack recommends Ultra Black RTV by Permatec. I have a boat and really trust marine sealant, so I was planning on going that route instead. Just like my boat, I was planning on replacing the sealant every few years. Sounds like my plan was a good idea.

I did not have enough sealant around the hole. I fixed that and haven’t had an issue since. Just take your time and use sealant and you should be fine.